Easter 2021

The celebration of Jesus' resurrection was such a sweet and special joy this year. It was so good to be able to gather with our church family in person this year, and we also had the added bonus of having our family together in one place.

We began our Easter Week observances on Thursday by having a modified Passover Seder meal, using guidance from our church and some families who recorded a meal for us to watch in our homes. The purpose was to remember and experience the type of meal that Jesus and his disciples would have had on the night that Jesus was betrayed. The elements of the meal were used as reminders of how Jesus fulfilled all of the Old Testament prophecies and promises when he walked on the earth.

 

On Good Friday, our church met for a meaningful time of remembering Christ's death on the cross and the sacrifice he made for our sins. The songs and scripture helped us to consider the mercy that was shown to us and to recommit our lives to living for the glory of Christ as believers.

 Easter Sunday was a wonderful day of gathering to celebrate the risen Savior. It was even more special to be gathered in our church's new worship hall and to be able to greet friends who were coming back to worship in person for the first time since the pandemic. In my role on the church staff, I have responsibilities all morning, but it is truly a joy to serve the Lord and his people in this way.

The rest of the day was spent just relaxing and spending time together as a family. We had a simple meal and then sat outside in the backyard enjoying the beautiful day. The girls enjoyed hunting for the eggs that Daniel hid for them, and they also had fun decorating some cookies. The guinea pigs got to come out to play and there was some whiffle ball action, and even a short ukelele concert. It was a perfect afternoon!

Loving my neighbor

 

 

Today is Palm Sunday. It is the day that Christians celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem at the beginning of the week that he was crucified, buried and rose again. The people who lined the road to Jerusalem when Jesus took that path thought that they were welcoming their new king, the one who had some to get them out from under Roman oppression and give them victory over their oppressors. They were celebrating a King that day, and so do we thousands of years later. But King Jesus came to save us from our sins and give us victory over the oppression of living for ourselves. That was and is the greatest need of humanity.

 

This morning as I was getting ready for church, I was praying for people who had experienced hardship from the storms that came through the Nashville area. I knew that many were having to deal with flooding or damage from high winds and also the emotional trauma that those experiences take on people, even years later. My mind and prayers also went to other friends who are going through very rough situations, some with no end in sight. All of these people in my prayers are in need.

 

My thoughts went to my own needs. I am in need of motivation and focus to finish up some grad school assignments. I will need strength to manage a busy week of work (Easter Week at a church is one of the busiest of the year). I quickly dismissed my own need as I prayed, asking once again for God to help others who are in “more need” than I am.

 

Almost as quickly, the Holy Spirit reminded me that we are all in need and that our greatest need is to be saved from our sins and an eternity of separation from God. While it is good for me to pray for others and to put their needs above my own, I don’t ever want to forget that I am in need of Jesus every day, every minute. He saved me from my sins when I trusted in him as a young girl and that gave me the privilege of approaching the throne of grace with confidence that he hears my prayers and goes before the Father on my behalf with my needs.

 

Today’s sermon from Romans 13:8-10 was about loving our neighbor as the fulfillment of the Law. Paul was echoing the teaching of Jesus where he summed up the ten commandments saying that to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind” and to “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-39). In the sermon, Josh Hussung said that loving our neighbor as ourselves is to see others’ needs as our needs and to have a gut reaction to help. He also said that loving our neighbor is a desire or longing for their good as God prescribes it. The only way we can love our neighbor that way is for God to help us to see others as he sees them:  in need of a Savior. Josh challenged us to think of ways that we draw the line of who can get our love and to repent of that sinful way of thinking.

 

I’m really no different than the people who were in the crowd cheering for Jesus when he rode into Jerusalem on a colt. I want him to be my king on my terms and to meet my needs as I think they should be met. I don’t always think about the needs of others, physical or spiritual. And I definitely put limits and parameters around the ways I am willing to love others.

 

This week as I prepare to remember the events of Jesus’ last week before the cross, I want to be mindful of how I love my neighbor. Do I love and care for others’ deepest need of salvation? Do I share the good news of Jesus’ death on the cross, burial, and rising again on the third day? Who might I share that with this week? How might I truly love my neighbor in the way that God intended?

 

Lord, give me your love for others and help me to share that love with those who you put in my life.

 

 

Spring, change and hope in the air

 

Happy Spring 2021! 

I remember the emotions and uncertainty that we all experienced during this season last year (and all throughout 2020). One year ago, we were newly in quarantine and the work-from-home routine was still getting established. I took daily walks and took pictures of the trees and flowers as they started blooming and it was a highlight of the season.

One year later, I am back to working in the office most days, but am thankful to still have the flexibility to work from home as needed. Life is slowly returning to the pre-pandemic "normal" but like anything, you can't ever really go back to the way it was.

 

 

The trees are blooming and the flowers are starting to pop up out of their beds. My favorite tulip showing at Cheekwood is about to hit its peak, and I am here for it! The temperatures are warming up and the sky is that beautiful clear blue that we have in Tennessee before the awful humidity comes to stay for a while.The threat of severe storms has returned as usual, too, but I don't really want to talk about that.

On Saturday morning, I left my house as the sun was coming up to head to Nissan stadium for my appointment to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. I was one of the 10,000 people who had signed up and I recruited my sister to go with me, as moral support.

When I turned on the music in my car, my phone randomly streamed the song, "His Mercy is More" and got me into a praise/thanksgiving mindset as I drove along Nolensville Road. I saw other people driving to run early errands or to go open up a business, and I realized that one year ago, most of those people were like me, staying at home, and many of those businesses were closed. I thanked God for the opportunity to get the vaccine and for keeping me healthy throughout the first year of COVID-19. 

As Jeanette and I drove to the stadium and got in the line of cars, we remembered another early morning adventure of getting up to go purchase the fabric for my wedding dress at an early-bird sale at the fabric store. Most experiences that I have in life are infinitely more fun when Jeanette is involved, and going to get a vaccine was definitely improved by having her along! She helped me to not get anxious when the traffic pattern was wonky at first. She was ready and willing to take my picture while the nurse administered the vaccine. She sang the Doxology with me. She laughed with me at the salty comment of the volunteer who checked on me in the waiting area when I told her that I was allergic to rubbing alcohol.

After I was released to leave the parking area, we drove to Kroger and picked out some random "treats" to have for breakfast with Russell and the girls. We found some apple danishes and bacon and biscuits and brought it to their house to prepare. Russell met us at the door with a tray with mugs of fresh, hot coffee, and the girls roused from their room with sleepy faces ready to start the day. We made plans to do "normal" things like go to the Goodwill outlet and spend time outdoors.

Last year, I never completely lost hope, because my hope is ultimately in Christ, who is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8). This year, my hope is still in Christ, more than in a vaccine or in any other earthly person or thing. And I'm thankful that the cycle of seasons has come back around and we can once again celebrate the new life and growth that is bursting out all around! 

Praise the Lord, his mercy is more!

This is 25!

It is mind-boggling to me, but Daniel turned 25 yesterday! What? How can that be? Wasn't it just yesterday that he was a baby who was chewing on his toy drumstick instead of skillfully playing and teaching drum lessons?

I am obviously aware of the passing of time and have enjoyed having a front-row seat to watching this baby grow into a man. Being Daniel's mom has been the number one favorite role in my life and I'm thankful every day that God allowed me this joy and grace.

At Daniel's baby dedication at Nashville First Baptist Church, and as we intentionally raised him in the faith, we chose some verses for him, as a prayer:

"For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light." Colossians 1:9-12, NIV

As I contemplated Daniel's birthday this year, I thought about those verses that we prayed for his life. We asked God to "fill him with the knowledge of his will through all wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives," and we joyfully experienced that happening as Daniel received Jesus as his Savior and was baptized as a boy.

We prayed that Daniel would "live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way; bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might," and we have watched Daniel grow in his faith and relationship with the Lord through his middle and high school years and in college and beyond. Daniel loves to serve on worship teams and doing discipleship, either one-on-one as a friend, or with youth in various settings.

We prayed that Daniel would "have great endurance and patience, giving joyful thanks to the Father," and those are three characteristics that I see in Daniel as he lives his life as a man. I see the fruit of the Spirit in Daniel's life: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22, NLT).

I am so thankful to God for the man that Daniel has become and look forward to our relationship as mother and son as we continue through 2020 and for years to come.

Joy Mixed with Sorrow

These days of the pandemic are such a mix of joy and sorrow, highs and lows. On Friday morning, a friend from church texted to ask if we needed anything from Costco and then came by with some rolls of paper towels and toilet paper to share. It was such a kind act and brought her joy to give and gave us joy to receive. And then I had joy in sharing some of the paper towels with another friend and my son.

I went upstairs to do some work and got distracted by a funny video sent by another friend. As I was laughing out loud (literally) over that video, I received a text from a different friend. It read, "Please pray. A teacher at (local) school has died from the virus." WHAM! Sorrow hit like a brick. I don't know the woman who died, but my friend was doing grief counseling and I felt the heaviness with her.

I was able to eat lunch with my friend Betsy, enjoying the Spring sunshine and breeze. We also took a walk and I saw different flowers than are on my usual route in my neighborhood. I get so much joy from my walks and talks and photo shoots.

My church asked me to participate via video in the worship time this past Sunday. The prompt was, "In this season, God is teaching me. . ." My answer was, "In this season, God is teaching me that he is faithful. One reminder of this is Psalm 57:10: 'For your faithful love is as high as the heavens; your faithfulness reaches the clouds.' God has shown his faithfulness to me as I walk in my neighborhood and see flowers and trees blooming and know that he is trustworthy and good."

Back to Friday afternoon, Mom and I drove to do some errands. The first stop was the Post Office and I needed to go inside to buy some stamps. I put on my folded bandanna with hair ties to go around my ears and it was suffocating. The five or so minutes that it took me to go inside were so frustrating: dodging people in a socially distant queue, getting annoyed at the stamp machine that was slowly dispensing the ugly type of stamps.

The next stop was CVS, where I put on my mask again and went inside to pick up Mom's prescription. I was thankful for wipes that were available to clean the keypad and am so grateful to the pharmacy technicians and cashiers who are working so hard during these days.

We went to Mom's apartment building and stayed in the car while she went inside to get her mail. I enjoyed the breeze through my open car window but also had more frustration placing our to-go dinner order. Our final stop was to pick up our groceries, and I was thankful for both opportunities to have food to eat and for the workers who are doing their jobs and businesses that can stay open.

The apostle Paul wrote: "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, ESV).

I am thankful and there is a lot of joy in my life, mixed with sorrow. I also have lots of questions:

• When will this pandemic end?
• Will we always and forever have to wear masks and not hug our friends and family?
• What is really going to happen to our economy?

But then I remember that a friend showed kindness and another friend shared a funny video and I got to eat lunch and supper outside and saw a dear friend and a dear son, all in the same day. And all of this was despite and because of a pandemic.

Also, I have more than enough food and I have a more than comfortable home to shelter in place in and I have a car and clothing and a job. And my friends and family are healthy.

So, I "give thanks to the Lord, for He is good. His steadfast love endures forever" (Psalm 118:1).

Easter 2020

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our Easter celebration looked different this year, but we still took time to remember the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.


On Good Friday, Mom and I watched the ecumenical service recorded by seven local pastors, one of whom was her pastor, Frank Lewis, from Nashville First Baptist. Later, we watched the recorded Good Friday service that my church, Grace Community Church, sent out. Finally, that evening, we watched the service from Christ Community Church, and Andrew Peterson sang songs from his Resurrection Letters album. All of these services helped us to focus on the cross of Jesus and the sacrifice he made for our redemption of sins.

On Easter Sunday, while we knew it was going to be a different kind of celebration because of needing to stay at home, we still had joy in our hearts because of the truth that Jesus is alive! He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

We watched the Grace recorded service and then Mom got on her Zoom call with her Sunday School class. We finished up our morning of church by watching the live stream of the service from Nashville First Baptist. It was wonderful to sing the familiar songs of the season and to remember the accounts of the first Easter when Jesus' followers were in a time of uncertainty and dismay until they learned that Jesus had risen and was no longer dead!

(I also want to document that it only took me four Sundays to finally figure out that I could hook up my laptop to the TV, enabling us to watch our services on a larger screen.) 

Mom and I had a scaled-down traditional Easter dinner of ham, potatoes, asparagus, coleslaw, and deviled eggs. It was just enough and still very delicious.

We got finished in time to get on our family Zoom call with Daniel and the Masseys. It was fun to see and chat with everyone before the Massey bedtime (8-hour time difference).

The rest of the day at our house was spent reading (me) and working a puzzle (Mom) while it rained outside. One bonus of having to stay at home for Easter was that we didn't have to slosh around in our Easter finery on a rainy day!

Easter 2020 will be remembered as an unusual day, but for us, it was filled with joy because the reason for celebrating never changes! He is risen!

Safer at Home: Month 1

In this unprecedented time of a global pandemic of COVID-19, I wanted to document my thoughts and some photos to look back on later.

On Friday, March 13, I worked my normal morning hours at the church office and then had lunch with a friend from church. That was the last day that things in my life were "old normal."

A week before, Nashville had the first cases of people testing positive for the Coronavirus and by March 13, the leadership at church had decided that we would not be meeting corporately on Sunday, March 15. Thankfully, the worship team had recorded their rehearsal on Thursday night and Scott recorded his message so that we were able to have a video to watch on Sunday. The Hussung family invited me to come and worship at their house, along with Betsy, Allison and Nathan and Serena Curtis. It was such a sweet time of singing together and hearing Scott's teaching from Romans 8.

Monday, March 16, was the first day we were officially working from home. The first week felt like an extended snow day without any snow. People were buying up lots of groceries and supplies and businesses were trying to decide how to stay open with the social distancing recommendations in place.

I came up with a "Daily List" of things to make sure that I included in my day. I knew I'd have work emails to check on and some other things that I could work on remotely. I wanted to be intentional about checking in with friends and family, tracking my eating as I have been doing and getting some walks outside. I also knew that I needed to keep up with my assignments for my graduate school classes and I wanted to make time for being creative. Some days I didn't check off all of the boxes, but it helped me to stay in some kind of routine.

By the weekend, I was really "over" spending so much time by myself and was ready to get back to normal. On Sunday, March 22, I watched the church worship video alone and cried through the songs. It was a good release of my pent-up emotions and I felt at peace after listening to Scott teach from Ephesians 1. That was also the day that the Nashville Mayor officially put out the "Safer at home" order, asking for residents to stay home as much as possible for 14 days.

From the start of the Coronavirus coming to the U.S., I began to talk to my mom about coming to stay with me. I had concerns about her staying in her independent living apartment building where she had to use the elevators and other common areas. The building management put some guidelines in place and she felt like she would rather stay there, with me helping her get groceries and other necessities.

When the mayor put out the "Safer at home" order, I brought it up again with Mom to let her know that the invitation still stood for her to come to my house. After thinking through it and learning that her building was going to be essentially put on lock-down (as much as it could be with the residents still living independently), she packed up and came over on Monday, March 23. It was a big disruption of her life to come over here, but we knew it would be the best option and would give us both some companionship.

Over the past three weeks, we have settled into our "new normal." We have our breakfast together and then I come upstairs to work for a few hours before lunch. In the afternoons I sometimes have work or school assignments and I try to get outside to walk. I've been going to the grocery store about once a week and we have taken drives to pick up Mom's mail or other quick errands. Dinners are things we cook or sometimes get takeout. Thankfully, we have a good outdoor patio to enjoy when the weather is nice. We both are staying connected with our friends and family.

We had a nice patio lunch with Daniel one day. He wanted to be very careful and not come inside the house, but I actually had a little chore I needed his help with (short mom problem of not being able to reach a clock to change the time). Mom and I stopped by his house for a driveway visit this past Friday and that was fun.

We don't know how long this "safer at home" time is going to last, but I suspect that I'll be reporting back at the end of month 2.

Here are some pics I've taken on my walks and other times so that we can look back later and remember this time.

My workspace the first week

I was so excited to find a stash of TP in a closet!

I took a couple of walks with Betsy and her dog Ava

Zoom call with long-time friends

One of our patio lunches

Encouraging chalk art

Worship with FBC Nashville livestream

Special delivery from sweet neighbor friends

I documented a dogwood tree blooming

Grandma's Facetime art date with Mary Lane

Choir Zoom call

One Friday we went to pick up coffee and flowers and delivered the flowers to friends

Yummy breakfast with homemade sourdough shared by Laura Hussung

My first time to wear a mask to the grocery store

We made cards one afternoon

More treats from our neighbors

Driveway visit with Daniel